Back to Normality
by Mrs.AlexVause95
Summary: This is how I think the fourth book to the Ellie Chronicle's should of went. May contain course language and adult themes. Rated T just to be safe. Please R&R.
1. Chapter 1- Settling In

**Author's note:~ Hey everyone! This is my first ever TWTWB fan fic. There's not really that many out there and with just watching the movie about 10 times and then reading the books about three times each, I decided to have a go at writing a fourth Ellie Chronicle's story. This is how I think the fourth book should have gone.**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Tomorrow when the War Began, John Marsden does. However, I do wish that I owned it because that would be sooo cool.**

**~GFDH1192~**

Back to Normality

_**Chapter 1**_

I am sitting at my desk in Lee's apartment writing this. I wanted to keep going, even though our troubles had ended. After I left the children's home, I had the lovely job of telling Gavin about the farm.

"Gavin, I had no choice! And it went to a good home! It's not like we don't know the Young's!" I shouted at him, which probably wasn't one of my greatest ideas.

"You said we would keep it going!" he yelled back and then with that, turned his head so I could no longer talk to him. I hate it when he does that! Me being unusually upset, stormed back in my room, which wasn't much bigger that a bathroom and slammed the door. Watching this whole charade was Lee, Pang and Phillip. After a few minutes I heard a slight knock on the door and standing there was Lee. I didn't bother looking up to know who it was. I knew his figure like the back of my hand. He walked over and sat on the end of the bed.

"Ellie, please look at me." He said softly. I did what I was told and sat up so I was now facing him. Lee continued on with what he was saying. "Didn't you know he was going to react badly?"

I gave a slight nod in return.

"Then, why are you so upset?" he asked with worry in his voice.

"I guess everything has just caught up with me." I answered looking into his brown eyes. Those eyes were always full of mystery, but after knowing him for so long, I knew how to overcome the wall that he always put up.

He moved closer to me. We hadn't had barely a moment's piece with all the kids around. I knew deep down, Lee was glad to have me here with him. Don't know if that was his protective side shining through or if he just enjoys having me cleaning the house. I reckon two of those joined together.

There wasn't anything to be said about my whole fling with Jeremy, but I still felt bad about how it went down. On my weekends, I would go and visit Fi, who I have to say will always be my best friend, closely followed by Bronte. I was only just starting to get used to the fact that she was the Scarlet Pimpernel …and here I was thinking that the Pimpernel was a guy…boy, was I wrong. I also couldn't believe that Lee kept it from me!

Instead of looking for a flat or apartment, we all sat down and decided that Gavin and I would stay here. There were many reasons for this. One was because Gavin and Rosie were starting become close and I didn't want to split them apart. She often came around to play with Gavin. Lee and I sat down and decided that it would be best if we both stayed put.

The second reason was that Wirrawee was falling apart and we didn't want to see it happen. I grew up there and it was hard to say goodbye, but when my parents were killed, I never felt the same again. I bet Mr. Rod was happy about us selling up, the one that tried to sell my property for dirt-cheap. I think I will always hate him.

The third was to do with both Gavin's education and mine. I started to attend Stratton state high school, which finally opened its doors. The bus ride in was always a sad one because the route happened to be past Granny's place. Gavin could see the sadness on my face, but I quickly tried to hide it when he looked. I had to be the strong one; I couldn't give up. That was why; still looking at Lee in my room, I stopped tears from forming and flashed him a smile.

"I missed those smiles." He simply stated and then reached for a hug. I took it gratefully and we then walked out and into the living room; if you could call it that. I shouldn't really complain to be living in this cramped living environment, but I did miss the small country town life. I missed the wide-open spaces that let me have freedom, but here both Gavin and I were safe.

Lee flicked on the TV and we sat together, huddled up on the sofa. It wasn't long before the kids became tired and Lee was off to tuck them into bed. To be honest, I wasn't really used to this tucking in business. With Gavin and I it was always "Gavin, go to bed!" or "If your not in bed in 5 minutes, I'll spank you all the way to the bus stop!"

Remembering these times made me smile and by the time Lee got back, I had a huge grin spread across my face.

"I checked on Gavin for you."

"Still sulking?" I asked him. He gave a nod and we both turned our attention back to the TV. There wasn't really all that much on that night. Just a couple of old sit-com's like 'Raymond' and 'Here's Lucy.' I decided enough was enough and called it quits for the night.

"I'm going to bed" I declared.

"Ok, goodnight." Lee said in return and gave me a quick peck on the cheek and I walked to my room.

I was actually surprised to get my own room. I was half expecting to share with Lee. I got changed into my pj's and flopped onto the bed.

**Thanks for reading guys! Please review if you liked it, or even if you didn't. I wanna know what you guys thought.**

~GFDH1192~


	2. Chapter 2- Life

I tried to get to sleep, but all I did was toss and turn. The way I usually get to sleep was by thinking about anything and everything. At first I thought of the great times I had on the farm, but they soon had me emotional. I then thought about Wirrawee high school, which I really did miss. All the gossip and talking, the pranks that Homer always pulled on everyone and anyone that passed.

That was yet another thing that I missed; although he came to visit quite a lot. He gave us updates on the farm and also updates on the town itself. Mrs. Jennings was getting back on her feet with her florist shop and apparently, her first customer was Mr. Holden. He wanted to cheer his wife up and he heard about the opening. Every shop that opened was a special event. There was always BBQ's and small festivities held; each triumpth celebrated.

There was only one thing that wasn't celebrated anymore. The Wirrawee Show hadn't been celebrated since the one that…I suppose you could say the one that started it all. Everything else went off without a hitch.

I stopped thinking about things and suddenly felt the erge to go to Lee's room. I got up, being careful not to wake up Marmie who always slept on my bed and walked down the hallway. I gave a tap at the door, a bit like the one he gave at mine earlier.

"Come in" I heard his voice from the other side. I opened the door and stood there for a few seconds.

"Wasn't expecting to see you again tonight." He half joked. I walked over to the bed and plonked myself on top of it.

"I couldn't sleep." I confirmed. He pulled the covers back; inviting me in and I greatly accepted.

We both lied there in silence before Lee broke spoke.

"Do you ever think about what you would be doing if the war never happened?" he asked me. I actually had thought about it.

"Yeah, we'd still be in school, studying for exams and complaining about our parents." I replied.

"You know I look at other kids and I envy them for having parents."

"I know…" I trailed off. At that moment I placed my head on his chest and he wrapped his arms around me.

"I still miss them. I even miss Chris." I sighed.

"Yeah, even Chris" he agreed.

I looked up into his eyes and then our lips met. His kisses started out soft and small, but then grew more passionate as the kiss deepened.

"Wow, I haven't had a kiss like that for a while" Lee commented. I leant into his embrace, even though we were lying down. It felt like winter had arrived sooner than usual because I started to get the shivers, this only made me lean into him more.

"Do you want me to close that window?" I gave a nod and he went to pull it closed. For the first time, I noticed he was only in his boxers. I felt a slight shiver run down my spine. It was either out of pleasure or the cold. The window took a lot to close, but it was worth it to slowly feel the warmth return to the room.

Lee walked back over to the bed and snuggled under the covers again; obviously he too was cold.

"Thanks" I breathed out. He wrapped his arms around me again and I felt a little warm when I leant into him once more. I leaned up again and gave him a soft kiss on his lips. Without thinking, the kisses got deeper and more passionate this time. What was only meaning to be a quick thank-you kiss, turned out being a long snog. A small, little tap at the door interrupted our kisses. I got up, not really wanting too and opened it.

Standing there was Pang and Intira, each holding their teddies. I couldn't help but aww at them.

"What's wrong?" I asked them.

"Bad dreams." The two girls replied at the same time.

I took their hands in my own and carted them over to the bed. Lee gave out an obvious, irritated sigh and I shot him a look in return.

"Why don't you sleep with Lee and I." I offered. They gave a nod and I helped them into bed.

With Lee and I on either side of them, they slowly drifted off to sleep. If only we were as lucky. I was forced to lay there in silence whilst the others slept.

"You asleep Lee?" I asked at one stage.

"Yes." He answered. I gave a sigh, kind of like the one he gave earlier and turned over, slightly rocking the bed.

This poor bed was going to get a work out.

* * *

><p>I woke up the next morning feeling strangely energised. I had the job of getting the kids up. I was used to getting Gavin up, but the other two boys Phillip and Paul; they were another story.<p>

After a lot of poking and prodding them to death, they gave into defeat and stumbled out of their room. Gavin was always the first up, I think he still had the early rise thing in him from when we were on the farm.

The three boys decided to share a room whilst the two girls, got a room to themselves. I was actually thinking that maybe I should give up my room and let Gavin have it. That way, Lee and I can have all the privacy we want.

The five of them stood at the front door waiting impatiently for me to finish my breakfast, as I was the one driving them. Usually, Lee made his own way to work (he got a job just recently not far from the school), but I offered to drive him today. Also on a typical day, we would all take the bus, but I felt like driving.

"I'll just drop them off and then come back and pick you up. Ok?" I said, chewing the last bit of my toast. Lee gave a nod and I was out the door, the kids hot on my trail.

**AN~ I know its not very action packed yet, but it is coming, I promise! If you have any pointers or tips for me to use, just leave a review and I will take it on board. Btw, Mrs. Jennings and Mr. Holden aren't people from Wirrawee, I just made them up. Please review, it means a lot to me. Thanks guys!**

**~GFDH1192~**


	3. Chapter 3- Intruders

Whilst driving Lee to work that morning, I decided to discuss giving my room to Gavin. This was the perfect opportunity without the kids.

"Hey Lee." I started off, concentrating on the road. "I know Gavin doesn't really like sharing a room with Paul and Phillip, so I was thinking that I could give up my room and I could move into yours?"

"Sure. Why not? That way you don't have to always sneak in when the kids are sleeping; with the excuse that you can't sleep." He said teasingly. Out the corner of my eye, I could see a grin slowly creeping across his face.

"Its not an excuse!" I argued. I knew it wasn't any good because he knew me from top to bottom and he also knew when I was lying. Ok, so I did come up with the excuse just so I could spend some alone time with him.

"You can't blame me for wanting to spend alone time with you."

"True. So, you going to tell him?" he asked me.

"Yeah, why not."

"Ok." He simply replied.

We arrived at Lee's work and I gave him a quick kiss before heading off down the road. I wasn't really all that late to school. Being a large school, you would think it wouldn't be too hard to make friends; wrong. I hadn't made any friends. I quite like the ones at Wirrawee and I wasn't getting too settled here. This was just temporary until I found a part time job somewhere. Until then, I was stuck here. I wish I had Bronte here with me at least. I had even thought about joining the all girls school that Fi attended, but I didn't really think it was my scene. So I spent my lunch hours at home. At least then I could get some house work done.

The day slowly ticked on by and even with the break I was given to go home, it was still a drag. I was halfway through Geography when Mrs. Sanders from in the office came to get me. When I got to the office I got a really big shock. There, standing in the door was Homer. I couldn't help but let out a gasp of pure joy. I hugged him in a death grip and then let him go when everyone started looking at us. Oh well, I didn't care.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him.

"What? An old friend can't pop on by and see you?" he replied with a smirk. "Go and get your bag, we're leaving." He half ordered.

"Yes sir." I saluted him playfully. We were still getting stares when Homer went with me to get my bag. I guess he wasn't the usual schoolboy, but I didn't really notice.

Once in the safety of the car, he told me why he was really here.

"We've had a tip off from the Pimpernel. There's been some illegal happenings in Stratton and I've been sent to check it out." He explained.

I gave a nod.

"Does Lee know you're here?" I asked.

"Yep, I was gonna go and pick him up after work."

"So that's what he meant when he said that he's catching a lift with a mate…" I trailed off. I changed the subject, trying to ignore the nervousness I felt for Homer and Lee. I really didn't like these missions.

"So how's Wirrawee? And the farm?" I asked.

"Getting there, to both of them. Mr. Young hasn't touch the house, but he sometimes sends the kids over to clean it and stuff, not that there's much to clean."

"Oh."

There was a moment of silence between us, but it wasn't awkward, just me concentrating on the road. Homer broke the silence.

"You miss it, don't you?"

"Of course I miss it. Its where I grew up, where we grew up. There are so many memories that I've left behind, but It was for the best. Gavin wasn't safe there and neither was I." I explained, still looking straight ahead.

"So…how are you and Lee going?" he asked. I swatted his arm playfully.

"Ow! What did I do?" he said holding his arm.

"You know what!" I retorted. There goes Homer again… "But seriously, I'm glad you're here. I hate that school."

"Maybe I should drop by more often."

"Yeah." I agreed.

We arrived home and Homer went straight to the fridge.

"You eating these leftovers?" he said, pulling pretty much everything out of the fridge. There wasn't much in there, I had been meaning to go shopping. I guess that day was tomorrow.

"Nah, you can have them." I replied as I plonked myself on the couch.

Homer pulled out the sausages from last night and put them in the microwave. He then pulled out the orange juice carton and poured us both a glass. The microwave started to beep as Homer took me my glass of juice.

"You really need a new microwave." He commented.

"Talk to Lee about that one. I'm broke." I said, turning on the T.V.

Homer came over and literally plonked himself down on my couch in his usual fashion.

"So Lee brings all the money in, huh?" he asked with a mouthful of chewed up sausages.

"Yeah, I'm looking for a fulltime job so I can leave school." I said, taking a sip of juice.

"Hey, you know I saw a sign saying help wanted at the café down the road. You probably know it? Its called Le Grande. They got nice coffee."

"Have." I corrected him. Funny, I had lost everything but my punctuation and grammar during the war.

"Ok, well I'll just have to drop my resume in on my way to do shopping tomorrow." I said finishing up my drink and taking it over to the sink.

"Resume?" he asked, eating the last bit on his plate.

"You know, a reference for your boss when applying for a job?"

"Job?" Now he was being stupid. As I walked back to the couch, I thumped him on the back of the head.

"Oi! What was that for?"

"You know what for." I said again, but sternly. He gave me a grin in return and put his plate and cup up in the sink.

"The kids will be getting home soon." I stated.

"So…?" he started off.

"So…you'll have to play uncle Homer for the night." I pretty much ordered.

"Really?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yep"

"And why's that?" he said, lifting an eyebrow in the process.

"Oh come on! We've looked after them for ages! Now, it's your turn."

"Do I get a say?" he said quizzingly.

"Yeah, sure. You can do the dishes now, or do them when the kids are in bed." I said, trying not to laugh.

"Fat chance. The missions on tonight."

"Well, I guess your doing them now." And with that, I threw the tea towel so it landed on top of his head. He shook his head violently before it dropped to the ground.

"Pick it up!" I ordered him.

"Make me!" he shouted back.

"Oh, its on."

I raced and grabbed the tea towel and started to twirl it around and then hit the back of his legs with it. Homer gave a yelp like a dog who's paw has been stepped on and we ran around the couch like this until we were both huffing and puffing. I collapsed onto the couch with the tea towel still in my hand.

"Don't…think…this changes….anything." I said breathlessly. Homer gave a cheeky grin and too flopped onto the couch.

Just at that moment, the kids came rushing into the house.


	4. Chapter 4- A Lucky Escape

Gavin, of course, was the first one to spot Homer. He dropped his school bag right in the middle of the hallway and rushed over to him. The others soon followed. I think Pang may have been the only one who really knew Homer, the rest, not so much.

"This is Homer, my best friend." I introduced him to them. They took a liking to Homer just like Gavin had. "He's mine too!" Came Gavin's voice from the swarm of kids. "Yes Gavin." Homer and I both replied in unison. Homer gave a small smile. I knew deep down that Homer favoured Gavin out of the rest. They were both troublemakers, I'll say that for them, but Gavin really did look up to Homer. I decided to speak up before they got too comfortable.

"Alright you lot. Go and do your home work." I ordered. Gavin's face turned to a frown.

"It can wait till later." Gavin replied. I raised an eyebrow at Homer and he knew he had to say something.

"No, Ellie's right. We can have fun later." He said sadly. They all departed, Gavin the most upset and walked into their rooms. When they were gone, I asked Homer to give me full details on the mission.

"Well, we're meeting Bronte at the old factory just by that warehouse on Church Street and then we're going in her car to the suspected place that we think these guys are hiding." He explained.

"Who's we?"

"Well, Bronte, Jess, Lee, Jeremy and myself. Why?" he answered.

"Just curious. I don't want Gavin going."

"I wasn't going to take him. You know he'll wanna go considering both me and Lee are going. We don't want a repeat of last time."

I thought back to the time they went over the other side of the border and Gavin followed them. I swear my heart almost stopped.

"Oh and one more thing I thought you might be happy to know."

"What?" I asked back.

"Fi's coming."

I covered my mouth in pure excitement. Fi! Fi! I was going to see Fi! After I calmed down and I had gotten over the shock I asked him why. Homer just said that she wanted to see me and Gavin and Lee and Homer again, although I had a feeling he added his own name just to feel special.

"When will she be here?" I asked excitedly.

"Soon. I'm picking her up on the way back from picking Lee up." He answered. Homer could see the thrill and excitement when I spoke. Who could blame me? Apart from Gavin, she was the most important person in the world to me. I loved her like she was my sister.

"How long is she staying?"

"For the weekend. Her parents are out of town, so she's technically sneaking out. She said she didn't care and that it was an opportunity." He said.

In just under an hour I would get to see her. Wasn't so bad. Beats waiting a week.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I shouted.

"She asked me to keep it a secret!" he bellowed back.

"Alright, alright. I forgive you." I compromised. That was just like Fi. "I didn't know you kept in contact with her." I continued.

"Of course I do. We may not be close like we used to, but we're still friends." He answered.

I looked up at the clock. It was 3:48. Just a bit more than an hour.

I wondered if Lee knew and didn't tell me. Fi probably told him to keep it quiet as well. It was a nice surprise and an even greater one if himself and Fi turned up at my doorstep. Now that would be something. Never mind…

"Do you wanna a cuppa?" I asked, pointing to the jug.

"Sure, why not." He replied.

I stood from the kitchen table and wandered over. I could hear his heavy footsteps right behind me. I put more water in it and then flicked it on.

"Guess I'm stuck with the kids, huh?"

"Guess so. I suppose you wouldn't wanna come with us?" he asked.

I mulled it over for a few seconds. It would be nice to get out and also to spend time with three of the most important people in my life. The whole reason I moved here was to keep Gavin and myself safe and if I went, it would just be like the war all over again.

"No thanks. I left that behind when we moved here…" I stopped talking when I saw Homer staring out the window. Before I knew it, the window shattered millimetres from where I was standing.

Instinct overtook me; adrenaline pumping through my veins. In sync, both Homer and I ducked. I hadn't seen the enemy, but I knew at once that he was there. My mind soon jumped to the kids. They were sure to have heard the shot, including Gavin.

Before I knew what I was doing, I sprinted out of the kitchen and was in the hallway in a low crouch. I tried to concentrate on just reaching that room. Off I went again and this time heading for the girls' room. I knew Gavin would take care of Phillip and Paul, so my priority was to make sure the girls were all right.

When I flung the door open, they were both cowering under their desk, each comforting the other. They caught me in a death grip and I pried them away at arms length.

"Are both of you ok?" I asked urgently. I knew it was only a matter of seconds before the soldiers would enter the apartment. I couldn't think of what to do. Where could we go? I took both girls by the hand and tugged them out the room. I decided that the best place was for us to get to another apartment, but then I thought it through and decided it would put them in danger. We were on our own.

**AN:~ Thank you for reading! I don't like to nag, but a little reveiw won't go a miss. It would mean a lot and would get you guys a chapter sooner. Thanks! :)**

**~GFDH1192~**


	5. Chapter 5- More Battles Ahead

With the girls in tow, I raced back to Homer, who now had a shotgun out and was shooting back at the enemy. The only lockable room in the house was the bathroom, so instead of going to Homer, I gave him a gesture to the girls and then the bathroom. I hoped he clicked on, if not, too bad. I reached the door and put them in the bathtub. Locking the door behind me, I went straight to the boys' room. Knowing Gavin like the back of my hand, he had a rifle and was guarding the two boys. Good onya Gavin. He always surprises me, but this was tops. There were many times Gavin had surprised me and by god this was one time. There was no fear or panic in his eyes, just protectiveness. At that moment, I was so proud of him and to be honest, I never knew he had it in him.

"You alright?" I quickly asked. They each gave a nod.

"Where's my sisters?" Phillip asked me, fretting for the worst.

"They're safe. I locked them in the bathroom." I turned to Gavin, hoping he was looking at me. He was, but he was still concentrating on the door.

"I'll go and get them to safety, go and join Homer. Then we decide what to do. Got it?" he nodded, responding to the situation. I didn't feel the need to let him know the situation, so I took the boys by the wrist and carted them out the door and to the bathroom, locking the door behind them.

Gavin was already with Homer, shooting through the window. I gave them a signal to stop and they did just that. Crouched over I came up with out best possible solution.

"We have to get the kids and run. Go to Lee's work and then…" I gave a pause whilst thinking what our next move should be. "and then who knows." They looked at each other and looked at me. "Agreed?"

"Yes." They both replied in unison.

The three of us ran to the bathroom and I had the job taking the girls. All of a sudden, the guns stopped. At that moment, a soldier appeared in the doorway. I didn't have time to think, I raised my riffle and shot. The man's face drained of colour and he fell to the ground. The two girls gave a scream from behind me, but Homer was on the job of calming them. I really felt bad for our neighbours. If any of them were asleep, they sure were awake now.

Once again off we went, down the hallway and out through the door. Yet another man appeared with a gun and I put the girls down, standing directly in front of them. No one was going to get to them, not on my watch. Before I could do anything, Homer raised his gun and shot the man directly through the chest. I heard Pang whimper from behind me. I reached for her and found her small hand and tugged her towards me, hugging her until she was ok.

Unwillingly, I let go of her and took Intira by the hand and towed them to safety. I don't know how we got out, but it was rough. A few more shots were fired before we made it out. Something happened that still shocks me now. While defending us, Homer stayed at the front, shielding us from the enemy. A bullet had come out of nowhere and hit Homer in the shoulder. Homer gave out a cry and held his arm immediately. Shock and confused, I tried to fuss over him, but he pushed me away saying he was alright.

I knew it was a big tough macho act, but pulled away. Still holding his arm, he led us down the stairs and out the front door. This was a very risky move, but if we could pull it off and get into the car, than we could get to safety.

Surprisingly the coast was clear and we were out the door in no time. It wasn't hard to spot the car from our position. We decided on taking the four wheel drive and snuck around to the door. It wasn't long before we were spotted. The kids gave a shriek and I more or less pushed them in the car. I left Gavin to take care of seat belts and Homer and I jumped into the front. The keys still in the ignition, I started the car and sped off down the driveway just as the soldier reached where the car was moments before.

We sped down the street towards Lee's work. I was finally able to break down into tears. I really did think that after we moved to the city that everything would settle down. Boy was I wrong…again. To my shock, Gavin leant over and placed an understanding hand on my shoulder. I closed my eyes and sobbed harder. At that moment I knew if there was anyone in this world that gets me, its Gavin.

**AN:~ I know its pretty short, but I updated quickly like I promised. Thank you Lilypadandprongs4eva and NotJustAnotherGirl for reviewing. I really appreciate it. Thanks for reading!**

**~GFDH1192~**


	6. Chapter 6- Injuries and Friends

**_Chapter 6_**

I offered to take over driving multiple times during the trip to Lee's work. Homer just shook his head, but I knew he was in pain. Instead he only let me tie an old rag from the back of the car around it. I needed to get him to a hospital, but he was so focused on getting us to safety. For not the first time, I was grateful to him. He had proven to me and everyone else that he was brave and had guts. The trip didn't take long considering we stopped to tie Homer's shoulder up and then I swapped seats with Gavin due to the two girls breaking down into tears. I think it hit them the most. They both huddle into me the whole way there.

We arrived at Lee's work and by this stage; Intira and Pang's tears had subsided. Lee's expression was a little confused and then he saw the kids in the back. At that moment, he knew exactly what had happened. Not thinking, I jumped out of the car and ran into his arms. He held me at arms length, looking me straight in my eyes. I knew what he was asking.

"Soldiers attacked the house. Homer's been shot, but the kids are ok, just shaken. I don't know what state the apartment is in though." That seemed to be all the information he needed. He held me for a few more minutes and then we wandered back to the car.

"Where were you guys supposed to meet Fi?" I asked once in hearing rage of Homer.

"At the bus depo." He replied. Gavin hopped out of the car and of course all the kids wanted to as well. Just like me, the two girls ran into Lee's arms and he held them close.

"Come on. We better get going." Homer finally spoke up are a few minutes. I gave a nod and jumped into the car.

"What do we do now?" I asked. "We can't go back there just yet."

"We should go and tell Fi whats happened first and then, we'll just figure out as we go along." That was Lee in the back with the kids.

I'd seen this bus depo many times in my life. It was where my aunty Janet went to when she would visit us. I have to admit, she was a favourite. She always brought me presents. Presents seemed like a lifetime ago to me.

My mood lifted when I saw Fi's beautiful face peering down the road. I think everyone could feel the atmosphere change when I saw her. Like Lee, she looked at the kids in the back and started to question. As soon as Homer stopped the car, I jumped out and ran out to give her a hug.

"Hey, whoa. I though it was supposed to be a surprise." She said with a smile, but no one returned it. "Why's all the kids here?" she continued.

"Um, the apartment was attacked." I spoke up. She looked at all of us and then started to shake her head.

"This wasn't how I planned it…" she held her head in her hands and took a seat on the sidewalk. Looking up, she saw Homer's shoulder.

"What happened to you?" she asked.

Before Homer could reply, I beat him to it.

"He was shot." I stuttered. Fi stood back up again, reaching for his shoulder. She started to fuss over him, but like with me, he pulled away.

"Its nothing. We need to figure out what we're going to do next." Homer gave a wince in pain, but he tried to hide it. Unbelievable. He brushed it off like it was just a scratch. Thinking back to when I was shot, all I had wanted to do was die. I don't know what came over me, but anger welled up inside me.

"Homer Yanos! You are going to the hospital whether you like it or not!" I screamed at him. For that I received stares and glares. This only made me angrier.

"Oh come on! I can't be the only one that thinks he needs to be checked out!" I looked around. Looking back, I was over doing it, but I was that fed up that I didn't care what anyone else thought. Fi reached for me, but stubbornly I pulled away. There was a silence in the air and then Pang walked up beside me and reached for my hand. At first I didn't welcome it; I was still heated up. Then I slowly let my hand mould into hers and I held it tight. Lee broke the silence and not for the first time, surprised me with his response.

"Ellie's right. We need to get you checked out. I remember when I was shot and it felt like my whole leg was on fire." He reasoned. I look up at him in astonishment and he gave a wink. I knew I wasn't alone.

"Alright. You heard him. Lets head to the hospital and Homer is _not _driving." I added.

* * *

><p>The ladies at the front desk were astonished when Homer didn't even wince when they were stitching him up. That was Homer. We were all made to wait in the waiting room, but Homer told us all about it.<p>

"Its not like I'd expect. I thought it would hurt more." He said once we were in the car. Well he put me to shame and Lee too. We still hadn't decided where to go. We weighed up the danger of going back and decided it was worth the risk.

"Just wait till things calm down a bit." Homer reasoned. We all nodded in agreement. It was then that the kids started to complain that they were hungry. It got to the point where Lee had to scream at them to be quiet. Me on the other hand wanted anything but food. I was so terrified that we were going back to the apartment and Lee had to hold me to get me to relax. Fi, being as nice as she is, offered to get a BBQ chicken and chips. This sounded appealing to not only the kids, but also everyone else- all except me that is. My stomach was churning with recent events and now, very soon, we would have to go back to the house.

* * *

><p>After feeding the children and ourselves, it was time to face the music. With me taking the wheel, we drove off towards the apartment. Taking precautions, we took all back roads and driving agonisingly slow, crept up towards our street.<p>

As suspected, there wasn't anyone in sight. Instead there waiting for us, was the police. The next-door neighbours must have called them and they were now searching the house. We all got out of the car and went to face the music.

**Thanks for reading guys! ;)**


	7. Chapter 7- Police and Catching Up

Homer was the first to speak up. Walking like he owned the place, he was soon standing in front of the police officers.

"Are you the owner of the apartment?" one of them asked.

"No, but as far as your concerned, I am." He replied. Both Lee and I thought it would be best if we stepped in, before he got himself arrested. Leaving the kids and Gavin in Fi's care, we wandered on over.

"We live here." I spoke up. The officer to my right went wide eyed at me for a second and so did the other one.

"Your Ellie Linton!" he gasped out in surprise.

"Yep, that's me." I replied.

"And your Lee Takkam." The other stated.

Lee looked at me, then at the officers and gave a nod.

"We've heard all about you. What you all did during the war, that took guts kid. Real guts" One of the police officers said. Homer being Homer stepped in front of both of us and held out a hand.

"Hey Sarg, I'm Homer, Homer Yanno's." he shook Homer's hand and studied him intently. Homer smirked and released the officer's hand.

The officer in charge cleared his voice, whilst the other went back to searching the apartment.

"Are you aware of why we're here Ms Linton?" he scribbled something down on a piece of paper in front of him.

"Yes, soldiers attacked the house."

The officer gave a nod.

"We're going to need you to come down to the station Ms. Linton and your friends too." Without another word, the officer called the other and got into the car and drove off. I took one look at Homer's face to know that he was smug. We returned to the others still waiting a few metres away. Before either Lee or I could speak, Homer jumped in first.

"They recognised us! As soon as they saw us!" he stated excitedly. Fi gave him a look that said 'You really do have an ego, don't you?' and I gave him a hit on his arm closest to me.

"Ow, what was that for?" he said mockingly holding his arm as if it actually hurt.

"You know what." My look was warning enough that I wasn't in the mood. "We have to go to the police station; Lee, Homer and I. Fi, could you? I'd hate to do that to you…" I continued

"Its fine." Fi willingly said and lead the kids inside the apartment.

So there we were for the second time that day, driving into town, but this time there wasn't the same urgency as the time before. I let out a sigh of relief knowing that everything would be all right.

The two officer's were waiting for us as we walked inside, not in any hurry. Homer was called first to make a statement, then Lee then myself. I told them of what happened and that we did injure and kill a few soldiers out of self defence. All they did was give an understanding nod and told me I could leave.

As I was walking out, a female policewoman called me over. She said she had read our book and asked if I could sign a piece of paper for her daughter. I smiled at her and did as she asked.

I walked over to the two boys and told them of what had just happened. Homer gave me a "Good onya" and Lee simply smiled.

"Come on. We better go and get that shoulder looked at Homer…" I reasoned. He gave me a disapproving look in return, but followed Lee and I out to the car.

Half an hour later, Homer's arm was fixed and ready to go for the mission tonight. If Lee was excited he sure didn't look like it, unlike Homer that is. Homer was practically buzzing. I didn't blame him. As well as the mission tonight, we achieved a small victory today and despite the small worry at the back of my mind, things did kind of look up for us.

The rest of the afternoon was spent preparing for the raid. The boys took off for the old warehouse at around 10:30 and Fi and I were left to look after the kids. Luckily for us, they were in bed not long after saying goodbye, so Fi and I had some time to catch up.

"So, how are you taking living in town?" Fi started off. I mulled it over for a moment before replying.

"Alright I guess. I miss the freedom of the farm, but I know it's in good hands. At first Gavin was brooding over my decision, but he came round." I answered. Fi gave one of her smiles that made me want to smile.

"How are you and Lee doing?" I stared at her. I knew exactly what she was doing. If I was going to tell anyone about that side of things, it was going to be her.

"Well we haven't had much alone time with the kids around…I'm going to give my room to Gavin and I was going to move into Lee's so we can be alone." She gave a giggle as I started to go red. I swatted her arm.

"I know what you're trying to do Fiona Maxwell!" she looked at me innocently and then broke down into laughter.

"Okay, you caught me. I was just…curious…" she trailed off.

"If you must know we haven't done anything but kissing or cuddling…yet." She started to giggle and I soon followed. By the end of it I was a bright red and Fi's face was red from laughing too much. After we calmed down she spoke again.

"Gosh I missed this. I can't talk about this with my friends at school, they all look at me funny if I even try. They're so innocent!" All I could do was laugh.

"Fi! You are innocent!" I giggled.

"I'm not that bad! They're all still virgins!" she tried to redeem herself.

"I could have lived my whole life without knowing that." Now Fi was the one that was blushing. I gave her a pat on the shoulder.

"I miss you Fi, I really do." She gave a smile.

I looked out the corner of my eye to see Gavin standing in the doorway.

"How much of that did you understand?" I asked, making sure he was looking.

"Just the end part." He said with a cheeky smile.

"Yeah right."

After a moment of silence I gestured for him to come over.

"Gavin, what would you say to having your own room?"

He gave an eager nod.

"Well" I continued. "If I move into Lee's room you can have your own room." I told him. The look on his face put a smile on mine. He gave me a hug, which was odd for Gavin and went back to bed. I turned to look at Fi and she too was smiling.

We were about to go back to talking, but then the boys walked in.

**Thanks for reading. I don't like to nag, but if you could review I'd be very grateful. Thank you **


	8. Chapter 8- Comfort and Lust

AN- This chapter will have a mild sex scene…if you don't like to read that sort of thing, feel free to skip this chapter. I'll give you an over view of the important details you missed at the end of this chapter. Don't say you haven't been warned…

The first thing I noticed was the worried looks on their faces. I immediately got to my feet and walked over to them.

"What happened?" was the first question that I thought of.

"We were attacked when we got to the warehouse. Someone tipped us off." Homer replied. I studied them both for injuries, but all I could see were cuts and bruises. Fi started to fuss over Homer, but he simply pushed her away.

"Where's the pimpernel and Jeremy?" was my next question.

"They escaped thank god. No one was seriously injured." Homer yet again confirmed. I looked at Lee, as he hadn't said anything yet. "You okay?" I asked.

He gave a simple nod and answered "I'm fine." He paused for a moment before continuing. "I'm just going to have a shower…" He walked down the hall and was out of sight.

I weighed up the consequences of following and decided I should go. I gave a knock on the door with no reply. At first it was hard to make out, but I soon realised.

Lee was crying.

I opened the door slowly to see the shower running and Lee underneath staring into space. I wasn't used to seeing him so broken…the last time I saw him like this was when he found out his parents were killed.

I slowly walked over to the shower, closing the door behind me. I got undressed and stepped into the shower. He didn't look up, but he knew I was there. I placed a hand on his shoulder and waited until he stopped crying.

A few minutes passed and he finally looked up at me. I search in his eyes for any emotion, anything at all, but all I saw was sadness. Seeing this I hugged him, but he hugged back so weakly that if I didn't know any better, I'd think he was dying.

I tried kissing him, but it had the same affect as the hug.

"Lee…" I said softly. He only looked up. I'd never seen him so cut up. Everything must have caught up to him. Everything we went through, his parents, the stress of looking after his younger brothers and sisters and his job. In that moment he seemed to lose himself and it was up to me to bring him back.

I held him for what must have been half an hour. I tried everything I could to bring him back. In the end just holding him was enough.

"I just wish my parents were here…" he finally said.

"I know…so do I..." I replied, still holding him.

I made one last check to make sure he was okay and got out of the shower.

The looks on both Homer and Fi's faces were priceless.

"Nothing happened! Fi…I'll tell you later…"

"What about me? We've been friends for years!" Homer reasoned. I couldn't help but laugh shaking my head. "Homer, you'll never understand"

I wandered over to the kitchen and turned off all the lights. After that I fetched some blankets for Homer who was taking the couch and Fi who was taking my bed. I figured Lee could use the company tonight.

I said good night to Fi and Homer and walked to Lee's room.

Lee must have been in the bathroom still so I pulled the covers back and jumped into bed. It wasn't long before I heard his footsteps approach the door and open it. He looked a little surprise to see me there, but the smile on his face told me otherwise.

"I let Fi take my bed and I didn't think you'd mind me staying here tonight."

He walked to the bed and got into the other side. "I told Gavin he could have my room. He was stoked." I told him. He put one arm around me, looking at the ceiling.

"I'm not surprised. He's always liked his privacy."

We laid there for a few minutes, enjoying each other's company. I decided to take this opportunity of being alone to do something we both needed.

"I've always enjoyed our privacy." I leant over and kissed him. He seemed to be a lot better than before because his lips weren't weak anymore. They were strong like him. I ran my hand up his thigh and he caught on pretty quick, deepening the kiss.

I got up on my knees and put one over Lee's body so I was straddling him. I then leant down and kissed him, more passionantly this time and without trying to break the kiss, I took off his shirt and threw it carelessly to the floor.

Finally, I pulled away and looked at him.

"Do you have a condom?" I asked before going any further. He gave a nod and gestured towards his desk where his wallet was. I stood and went over to the desk, pulling one out.

I threw it to him and lazily crawled back onto the bed.

Without another word, he was tugging at the bottom of my shirt, pulling it up over my head. He gazed at my breast for a brief second and before he realised he started to blush. I only gave a laugh and hugged him from my position. He took the chance to undo the clasp to my bra and that too was on the floor.

I went back to the position I was in before, sitting on his waist. I moved my hand slowly towards the top of his track pants whilst he had a good look at my breasts. I turned around so I could pull off his pants, which were followed by his underwear.

He flipped us around so he could remove my bottom clothing and soon they were on the floor with the rest of our clothes.

**AN- For those who did not want to read this very, very mild sex scene, all you need to know in this chapter is they were ambushed at the warehouse and they all got away. Also that everything finally caught up with Lee and Ellie helped him. Plus the sex scene at the end.**

Thanks for reading guys 


	9. Chapter 9- Family and Pain

We both woke up around the same time, which was 7:45. I smiled remembering last night's events. I looked over to see Lee's hair a mess. If his was bad, I wonder what mine looked like.

Out of all the times we have had sex last night was the best. For a start we were out in the bush with a war to worry about. Now being relatively safe, except for the miner detail of the soldiers that come from over the border, I would class it as one of the best.

I got out of bed and snuck back down to my own room. Not long now until we didn't have to sneak around the kids.

The sound of doors closing told me they were up and I stiffly got up and walked out. The kids were carrying out their usual morning antics and in which started yelling and screaming over who got the last of the Cornflakes and who got the last piece of bread. I made a mental note to go food shopping today. Just one of the many things that had to get done. Lee would have to go back to work today, so I'll have to ask Fi to watch the kids. Poor Fi, I'll have to get her a bunch of flowers or something.

By then the kids had woken Homer and Fi, but I had a feeling Lee was already awake because he walked out all dressed for work not long after I had. He said goodbye to Homer and Fi, gave me a quick kiss and was out the door in 30 seconds.

I stood there wondering how he did it. How did he run after the kids and attend work, plus these night raids over the border? I would never know. Fi wander out from her room fully dressed and ready for the day.I decided to take a quick shower, grabbed the last of the breakfast food and went food shopping with Homer.

We took the usual route to the center of town; down Ruthren street then down Hibros street. Homer was tapping a random beat on the dashboard, which he knew irritated me greatly. Just when I was about to yell and scream at him, I stopped the car to a halt. It was hard to pick at first, but with some concentration I saw something that sent shivers down my spine. A man, well, a soldier, was creeping around a corner, his head turning like a sprinkler. I narrowed my eyes, then looked for his target. Another man was crouched behind a Dump Master, staring intently at the corner.

I grabbed Homer's arm, but there was no need, he had seen it too. I slide out of the car, landing a little less graciously than intended and began to run to a car across the street, directly in line with the two soldiers. Heavy footsteps behind me told me Homer wasn't far behind.

We were in hearing range of what was being said, but they were speaking in their own language. Despite the language barrier,it was easy enough to see what was going man who had joined the one in the alley was receiving some sort of an update. Homer and I looked at each other with a question mark on our face. How long had this been going on? What were these two enemy soldiers doing over the border?

"We have to report this to the authorities." I quickly whispered. Homer quickly shook his head in disagreement.

"No, we have to report this to Liberation. The authorities can't do a thing. I'll give Bronte a call after we finish in town." After the strange meeting in the alleyway, we both slunk back towards the car and continued on our way.

Shopping was a struggle these days. With only one income with 5 kids, to say it was a struggle was an understatement. After many items returned to the shelves (and Homer jumping on a trolley and riding it down an isle), the food was paid for and loaded into the car.

"We should go back and look for clues." Homer spoke up suddenly jumping into the passenger side.

"We looked, remember? Nothing was left." I said starting the engine and pulling out of the car park.

We drove back the way we'd come, creeping up to the corner. We moved a little less cautiously to the alley way.

Homer was right on going back, although I'd never tell him that. There, lying in an over flowing trashcan was a piece of paper, which in no doubt was left by the soldiers. I read the contents of the paper, while Homer looked over my shoulder.

"72 Harris Dr. That's near home" I shuddered, thinking how close the soldiers were to home.

"It could be a trap." He replied. I knew he was right, it very well could be a trap.

"Yes, it could be. But what if they've been spying on us again? I couldn't handle it if Gavin was taken again, let alone one of the other kids. What if they're killed because we didn't do anything?" I spoke quickly, panic slowly setting in.

"Alright alright, I'll make a call to Liberation when we get home." I didn't bother correcting him about it being our home, Lee's and I.

Like before, we slunk back the way we'd come and were on our way home. I was only semi concentrating on the road. A million questions swimming around inside my head, trying to fight its way out. I began to shake, thinking what would happen if any of the kids, or Fi were injured while we were gone.

I pushed on the accelerator harder and sped on, driving a little faster than the speed limit.

I left the shopping and raced inside our apartment, barging the door open so hard it swung back and almost closed again.

"Fi?" I called, searching the rooms, before relaxing, finding in the lounge reading a book she'd borrowed the night before. Fi looked up startled.

"Everything alright?" I shook my head slowly, trying to catch my breath.

"No, not really."

She waited for me to go on, but when she realised I wasn't about to, she stood and walked to the kitchen. Fi found a couple of clean mugs when Homer walked into the room with a couple of shopping bags in hand.

"Thanks for ditching El." Fi flicked on the jug and made us all coffees.

After I'd calmed down and was halfway through my second, (or third, I wasn't sure), coffee for the day, I began to tell her what we found.

"And you think they're planning on abducting Gavin again?"

"Maybe…" I said looking down into my coffee. I felt a shiver run down my spine at the thought. Fi rubbed her scar subconsciously, processing the new information.

Homer was already in the office making the phone call to the Pimpernel. He had the door closed, but it wasn't hard to imagine what he was saying. After we'd finished our coffees, we drifted into different parts of the apartment. Fi lingered in the kitchen while I stood silently in Lee's room.

I heard Homer come out from the office and talk quietly with Fi, but I couldn't make out the words. My entire body seemed to shut down. Without thinking I sat on the corner of the bed and took to sucking my thumb. A small niggling thought snuck into my head that in the early hours of this morning Lee and I had made love on this bed, our love had filed the entire room and many hours later, my world seemed to have fallen apart.

I didn't cry. I was shaking too much for that. Neither Homer nor Fi interrupted my thinking until I looked up at the clock and saw the figures 5:08pm. I was so into my own little world that I hadn't even heard the bus pull up or the kid's barge in the door. I stood from the bed and walked out into the lounge room. Fi was chopping away at some veggies for dinner. Homer was seated on a stool watching her. Both looked up when they heard me emerge.

I heard Gavin yelling at Paul in the bathroom. I went into each room individually, checking up on each child. These people were the most important people to me right now and I made a note that I would never take my eyes off them again.


	10. Chapter 10- A Romantic Evening

I must have looked like an emotional wreck, because as soon as Lee walked through the door, he dropped his belongings and walked over to my side. Fi and Homer walked to the front door, but no one spoke. The only sound was the kids playing in the background and Lee's soothing hand rubbing my back.

"What's happened?" was his first words. I took a deep breath and lifted my head to look at his face. His face was full of worry and anxiousness.

"Ellie and I came across some soldiers today. We found an address." He handed Lee the paper and watched as he read it over quickly.

"What did Bronte say?" Homer looked at me guiltily before answering, never taking his eyes off me.

"She said she'd send a few reliable people, including us, to check it out.." I froze instantly, the shivers returning, running through my whole body. It seemed like eternity before Lee replied.

"She wants us to check it out?" What would we find?"

Clearly he hadn't quite out two and two together, so Homer told him "We think they may still be after us for what we did during the war, it could be a set up…" Lee nodded, finally understanding.

Fi returned to the kitchen and put the chook in for dinner. Homer took to the couch again with Gavin by his side. Lee and I went into his room.

"Are you okay?" He asked before realising how stupid the question was. I didn't bother answering, just folded myself into his chest. He put his hand under my knees and gently moved my legs so they were across his lap.

We stayed like that for what seemed like eternity, but was probably only about an hour. We slowly stood a little stiffly, not wanting to leave, but knowing we could use a good meal. Fi had done a beautiful job at cooking dinner. I smiled a little to myself at the effort she'd made with setting the table. She put a table runner along the centre, with a three-piece candle set. I giggled a little, wondering if Lee and I would ever go on a date with candles and a moonlit dinner. I looked up seeing Lee blush under his dark skin.

Surprise hit me like a tidal wave when I realised the table was set for two. My mouth opened to protest, but Fi waved her hand dismissively. "Fi!" I cried, touched that she'd go to this effort for us. I looked out the corner of my eye to see Homer pushing the kids out the door with promises of McDonald's for dinner. Fi set the veggies down and pushed her hair back from her eyes.

"You two could do with a night alone, we'll be back late." I could feel myself blush, realising she must have heard us last night.

"Sorry…" I muttered embarrassed. She gave a laugh.

"Just as well Homer didn't hear…you'd never hear the end of it." She smiled and gave a wave, before disappearing through the door, closing it behind her.

We waited until we could hear the car pull away and knew were alone. I looked up and laughed at Lee's facial expression. It was pure embarrassment. I went to pull my seat out, but before I could, Lee was at my chair, pulling it out for me. I gave another giggle and blushed taking my seat.

"Thank you." I smiled as he took his own. "Not just for…that, but for everything."

Lee smiled, showing me I was welcome.

"If you don't want me to go with Homer…I won't. I know how I'd feel if I was stuck behind looking after the kids, worrying." His turn of conversation threw me a little.

"I don't want to stop you from living your life Lee, your with Liberation, I understand that. But your right, I'll be panicking the whole time." His eyes looked down into his lap, then looked back across at me, guilt flashing across his face.

We each took a helping of chicken and baked veggies and began eating.

"The war's over Ellie…well sort of, its not our fight and its certainly not yours. During the war I pushed everyone into attacking the enemy. I'm sorry…" I blinked three times in astonishment. Lee very rarely admitted when we was wrong, a little like Homer and most of the time me in that respect.

"You did what needed to be done. Your right, the war's over, but these soldiers…" I shook my head before continuing. "They need to be stopped. I honestly don't think I could handle even small missions like this, checking out the address. I think I might stand there and scream like with the solider when taking the Kiwi's through Wirrawee." I shuddered at the memory, still haunted by the fact that I could have killed them all.

Lee didn't seem to have an answer to that, so he started shovelling food into his mouth. I did the same, a little more reluctantly, still trying to keep my table manners. After a few moments of knives and forks scrapping against our plates, I spoke again.

"It was nice of Fi to set this up…do you realise this is technically our first date?" Lee nodded and smiled at me across the table.

"Not bad for a first date huh?" he replied in between mouthfuls. I laughed at his table manners. "God, I can't take you anywhere, not even to our own apartment." Lee laughed suddenly and I joined him. It had been forever since I'd cracked a joke. I think he was just pleased I was somewhat back to normal, despite the worry I had for the kids and Gavin.

We finished our dinner with high spirits then ventured over to the couch. I curled up into Lee's lap while he stroked my hair absent-mindly. Some sit-com called "My Wife and Kids" was on. I giggled to myself, which had Lee blushing once again. We were in our own rights parents to 5 kids and were very much a family. Lee put one hand under my jaw and began to kiss me softly. The kisses started out slow and light, but then grew and grew as they became much more heated. Soon the TV was turned off and I was intertwined with Lee, one of my legs hooked around his waist, while my arms and legs roamed his chest, his hair, his legs. Every touch gave him goose bumps, which I smiled between his deep and passionate kisses. His hands mimicked mine as they travelled across my stomach and back up my body, leaving the same trail of goose bumps in their path. His head burrowed into the crook of my neck, leaving soft, but firm kisses in the hollow of my neck. And that's when the bloody kids came rushing in.


	11. Chapter 11- Peace Before The Trouble

We hadn't realized how late it was. Their reactions varied. Homer yelled "Onya!", Fi gasped, covering her mouth with her hand laughing, Gavin scrunched up his face before pretending to throw up, Pang had pretty much the same reaction as Gavin and so did Phillip and Paul, Intira said "Aww" then smiled sweetly at us both. This only made me blush a deeper shade of red than I already was. Lee hung his head in embarrassment, neither of us bothering to untangle ourselves. Fi cleared her throat and said "Go on, off to bed, we've caused enough embarrassment for one night. Gradually she got the kids into pajama's, teeth brushed and in bed.

I sat there in a giggling fit, which was slightly on the verge of hysteria. First I was giggling, then went to laughing and then at last began to cry. Boy did I cry. The only consolation was that somehow we managed to untangle ourselves and in which he had me crying into his chest. These tears were for my parents, Robyn, Corrie and Mrs. Macca. They were also for what we'd been through and everything that's happened since. These were tears that at long last escaped. The last time I cried was about a month after my parents deaths. Unlike last time, I wasn't alone.

Fi and Homer must have decided it wasn't a good idea to disturb, as they never emerged from getting the kids to bed. My tears eventually dried up and I sat slightly, seeing how soaked Lee's work shirt was from my tears.

"I'm sorry…" I mumbled. Lee didn't say a word, instead, he continued rubbing my back, holding me until my sniffles had stopped for a good ten minutes. Lee laid down and pulled me into his lap. I heard Fi go around and turn all the lights off and soon I was drifting off to sleep.

I woke up to the soft snores of Lee and the extremely loud snores from Homer in the next room. My neck was stiff and sore and my arm had gone to sleep. I shook my arm, trying to get more feeling back into it, which woke Lee up. I kissed his lips lightly when his eyes were fully open. He smiled, sitting up a little and kissed me in return.

I looked over at the clock in the kitchen and sat upright. We'd slept through half the day! Lee rubbed his eyes, then looked to where I was looking. He groaned and mumbled "Shit." A movement caught my eye from the kitchen. Fi was placing flowers in a vase and was rearranging them.

"Why didn't you wake us?" I asked, standing up slowly.

"You looked peaceful and well…comfortable. Homer got the kids to school and now he's in town having a look around.." I sighed. She did so much for us; I'd miss her when she leaves.

"Thank you." I waddled into the kitchen, still a little stiff and flicked on the jug, then pulled out two mugs. Lee was already walking into the office, making a call to his boss. I felt sorry for him to have to explain why he'd be late. I yawned feeling the effects of the uncomfortable couch. I swore right then that I would never sleep on that couch again. After a few moments, Lee walked back out with a frown on his face.

"If I'm late one more time, I'm fired." He grumbled and grabbed the coffee I'd just made. He slouched in his chair, looking into the depths of his coffee, as if searching for something. I made a coffee for myself and sat in the chair opposite him.

"They won't fire you, they won't get rid of a great employee." He sighed taking a sip from his mug.

"Yeah, your right…"

"I'm always right." He almost smiled.

Lee had to wait for Homer to return as we only had one car. I was angry that he'd taken it, but thankful that he had got the kids to school. I wondered how much Fi had done and decided it was probably her that got them ready, not Homer.

Homer walked in casually after what seemed like an eternity and Lee took off.

The three of us spent the afternoon playing silly little games. I often caught Homer gazing at Fi and Fi unconsciously reaching out and taking Homer's hand. Fi shook her head at me when I opened my mouth to ask.

I made one decision while we spent the day mucking around, chasing each other around the apartment. I wasn't going to hold Lee back from living his life, so in saying that I had decided I'd say he could go. The mission was set for tonight. One member from Wirrawee was going to ride a motorbike into Stratton. He would arrive around 10 pm (we weren't given his name) and then the three of them would take off.

I sat at the kitchen table arguing with Homer about only two people going. Surely it was less of a risk if only two went. Deep down I was trying to make excuses for Lee not to go, but knew my mind was made up. He argued that there should be three, two to sneak up close and one for back up in case something went wrong. I had to admit, he was right, which only made me scowl internally.

So when Lee returned home from work at 10 minutes past five, I told him he could go. I could see the excitement in his eyes when he asked if I was sure.

At 10 pm, the guy arrived right on cue and within another couple of minutes they were off. I couldn't help but feel my stomach drop. I knew it wasn't a dangerous mission, but things could still go wrong; and they did.

Fi and I decided we'd sit up and wait for them to return. The plan was to spend a few hours watching and when they thought they'd seen all they could, they'd drive back here. They'd taken my car with them to get to across town and would be back by 3 am.

Fi sat on the couch and I sat on the floor while she did my hair. It'd been a long time since the last time we'd done this. In fact it was probably months and months ago. She'd come from the city like she did this time and helped out around the farm, well, the house anyway. To her credit she did do a few odds and ends outside, but she felt more comfortable inside cooking meals, doing the washing and generally cleaning up.

While sitting watching TV, I couldn't help but continuously watch the clock.

"Hold still." She'd grumble while trying to braid my hair. I sighed and obeyed her. We were watching some late night gardening program, but we weren't really paying much attention. We mainly talked about boys and school and generally teenage girls like to discuss.

"What was that move Homer pulled today? Are you back together?" She seemed to take forever and I realized she was blushing.

"Homer insisted I take your bed and he sleep on the floor as you and Lee had the couch and he reckoned it would feel weird sleeping in Lee's bed. I felt bad and told him he could sleep in the bed with me as long as he kept his hands to himself." She paused, concentrating on a hard point in braiding my hair, then continued after a moment. "Well he did keep his hands to himself. Then we started talking…you know about why our relationship ended and where it went wrong, then he caught me off guard. He admitted he still liked me the same way he did in the old days and that was it. We agreed to try again, you know, start fresh."

I was completely shocked, I had no idea what to say. I jumped up and hugged her tightly. "Oh Fi! That's fantastic!" We spent a good half an hour giggling and laughing about silly immature things, like how big Lee was and the noises she'd heard which had me blushing a deep shade of red.

Fi was right in the middle of telling me about she'd tripped over a drunken teacher on a school camp, when Homer barged through the door.


End file.
